Canning and Preserving For Dummies (13 page)

Canned Apricots, Nectarines, and Peaches

Consider this recipe a three-for: You follow the same steps and cooking times for all three of these luscious fruits. The only difference is in the prep step: Whereas you have to peel peaches, you leave the peel on apricots and nectarines.

Preparation time:
15 minutes

Processing time:
Pints, 25 minutes; quarts, 30 minutes

Yield:
8 pints or 4 quarts

10 pounds apricots or 10 pounds nectarines or 12 pounds peaches

Sugar syrup, light

1
Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)

2
Wash your fruit. To prepare peaches, peel them; then cut them in half and remove the pits (see Figure 5-1). To prepare nectarines or apricots, simply cut them in half and remove the pits. Meanwhile, bring the sugar syrup to a boil.

3
Pack the fruit firmly into hot jars and pour boiling hot sugar syrup over fruit, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3). Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

4
Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 25 minutes (pints) or 30 minutes (quarts) from the point of boiling.

5
Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (see Chapter 4). If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two weeks.

Vary It!
To make a sweeter canned fruit, use a medium syrup.

Tip:
To make peaches easy to peel, blanch them to loosen the skin: Dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds and then dip them in cold water.

Per 1/2-cup serving apricots:
Calories 118 (From fat 5); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 2mg; Carbohydrates 29g (Dietary fiber 3g); Protein 2g.

Per 1/2-cup serving nectarines:
Calories 118 (From fat 5); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg; Carbohydrates 29g (Dietary fiber 2g); Protein 1g.

Per 1/2-cup serving peaches:
Calories 88 (From fat 1); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 4mg; Carbohydrates 23g (Dietary fiber 2g); Protein 1g.

Berries (except strawberries)

Canned berries have so many uses! You can use them to make smoothies or pies and as a sweet addition to your oatmeal. If your pantry is like ours, your berries will be the first things used up,

For canning, you want perfect, not soft or mushy, berries. Leave them whole. Wash and drain the berries (handling them as little as possible); remove any stems or hulls.

Strawberries don’t can well. During the processing, they turn mushy and lose their taste and red color. They do, however, freeze very well. See Chapter 13 for complete instructions.

Depending on the type of berry, you’ll use either the raw or hot pack method:

Raw pack:
Raw packing is best for soft berries, like blackberries, boysenberries, and raspberries.

Hot pack:
Use this method for firmer berries, such as blueberries, cranberries, and huckleberries.

Canned Raspberries

With soft berries, like raspberries, boysenberries, and blackberries, you don’t have to cook the berries before canning. Simply place them in your canning jars and pour hot syrup over them. This recipe explains how to can raspberries, but you can use it to can any other soft berry the same way.

Preparation time:
15 minutes

Processing time:
Pints, 15 minutes; quarts, 20 minutes

Yield:
8 pints or 4 quarts

12 pounds raspberries

Sugar syrup, light

1
Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)

2
Wash the berries gently in cold water to firm them and remove any stems or hulls. Meanwhile, bring the sugar syrup to a boil.

3
Pack berries loosely into your prepared jars and pour boiling hot sugar syrup over them, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more sugar syrup as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

4
Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 15 minutes (pints) or 20 minutes (quarts) from the point of boiling.

5
Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (see Chapter 4). If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two weeks.

Vary It!
For sweeter canned berries, use medium syrup.

Per 1/2-cup serving:
Calories 138 (From fat 8); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg; Carbohydrates 34g (Dietary fiber 12g); Protein 2g.

Canned Blueberries

To can hard berries (like blueberries and cranberries), you follow the same general steps you do for soft berries, with one exception: Instead of packing the jars and adding sugar syrup, you boil the berries and sugar together before filling the jars. This recipe shows you how to can blueberries. Follow the same directions for any other type of hard berry.

Preparation time:
20 minutes

Processing time:
Pints, 15 minutes; quarts, 20 minutes

Yield:
8 pints or 4 quarts

10 pounds blueberries

Sugar syrup, light

Boiling water

1
Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)

2
Wash the berries gently in cold water to firm them and remove any stems or hulls.

3
Measure the berries into a saucepan and add 1/2 cup sugar for each quart of berries. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and stir occasionally to prevent sticking. In a large pot, bring water for your reserve to a boil.

4
Ladle the hot berries and liquid into your prepared jars, adding boiling water if there isn’t enough liquid to fill the jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more berries and water as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

5
Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 15 minutes (pints) or 20 minutes (quarts) from the point of boiling.

6
Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (see Chapter 4). If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two weeks.

Vary It!
For sweeter canned berries, use medium syrup.

Per 1/2-cup serving:
Calories 124 (From fat 3); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 2mg; Carbohydrates 32g (Dietary fiber 6g); Protein 1g.

Pears

All varieties of pears can well, so use your favorite variety. After cutting and peeling the pears, treat your fruit with an antioxidant to prevent discoloring (refer to the “Deterring discoloration” section of this chapter).

Canned Pears

Pears are great fun to have on the pantry shelf. Try canned pears in place of apples in any recipe calling for cooked fruit.

Preparation time:
15 minutes

Processing time
: Pints, 20 minutes; quarts, 25 minutes

Yield
: 8 pints or 4 quarts

12 pounds pears

Sugar syrup, light

1
Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)

2
Wash, peel, and core the pears. Slice the pears into 1/4-inch pieces or cut them into even-sized chunks. Bring your sugar syrup to a boil.

3
Pack the pears firmly into the hot jars and pour the boiling hot sugar syrup over them, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more sugar syrup as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

4
Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 20 minutes (pints) or 25 minutes (quarts) from the point of boiling.